General Wine Terminology
Ageworthy: The ability of any given wine to mature. This depends largely on the characteristics of each individual wine, also storage conditions.
Wine Regions:
- Old World - Collective reference to the wine producing countries of Europe and North Africa.
- New World - Collective reference to the wine producing countries outside of Europe and North Africa.
Appellation: A demarcated and regulated wine production area.
- Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée/Protégée (AOC/AOP) - France's highest classification of quality wine.
- Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) - France's mid-tier classification of quality regional wine.
- Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) - Spain's highest classification of quality wine.
- Denominación de Origen (DO) - Spain's mid-tier classification of quality regional wine.
- Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) - Italy's highest classification of quality wine.
- Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) - Italy's mid-tier classification of quality regional wine.
- Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) - Italian classification for quality wines, whose producers choose to declassify from the DOC/DOCG structure.
Bottle Condition:
- Bottle Variation - Variation in characteristics between multiple bottles of the exact same wine, caused largely by differing storage conditions.
- Capsule - Foil cap placed over the cork for protection, cleanliness and presentation.
- Fill Level / Ullage - The existing top-level of wine in an upright bottle, termed in accordance with position in the neck of the bottle. If filled correctly, a new wine shall be filled to or just below the foil capsule; over time, this level will naturally drop, however excessive seepage may indicate an issue with the seal and increased risk of oxidation.
- Bottle Sizes:
- Half-Bottles - Small-format bottle, normally of 37.5cl, equivalent to half of a regular bottle.
- Bottle - Normally 75cl, some old bottles were 70cl.
- Magnum - Large-format bottle of 1.5 Litres, equivalent to 2 regular bottles.
- Jeroboam - Large-format bottle of 3 Litres, equivalent to 4 regular bottles.
OWC Interpretations
Vintage:
- The year in which grapes were harvested from their vines.
Cask Ageing:
- Period of time a wine spent maturing in wooden barrels.
Seal Condition:
- Visual determination of the quality of the seal of a bottle, unscientific:
- excellent condition: label & foil/wax seal intact; cork/closure secure, no leakage
- good condition: light cosmetic damage to label/seal; cork/closure secure, no leakage
- satisfactory condition: damage to or missing label/seal; cork/closure secure, no leakage
- poor condition: damage to or missing label/seal; cork/closure loose, slight leakage
- bad condition: damage to or missing label/seal; damage to cork/closure, notable leakage
Legal Terminologies
Selling:
- Transferring legal possession and ownership of items from Seller.
Seller:
- Person from whom legal possession and ownership of items is being transferred.
Buying:
- Transferring legal possession and ownership of items to Buyer.
Buyer:
- Person to whom legal possession and ownership of items is being transferred.
Bid(s):
- Legally binding offer(s) to purchase items at a specific price stated.
Auction:
- Public sale of property conducted by competitive bidding where the item auctioned is sold to the person who makes the highest bid, providing Reserve has been met.
Commission:
- Fee paid based on a percentage of the sales value of items.
Lot:
- A parcel or single item that is the subject matter of a separate sale.
Listing Fee:
- Fee paid based on an agreement to represent the sale of a separate lot.
Reserve:
- Condition that sale shall not be agreed unless lot attains agreed value bid.
Reserve Fee:
- Fee paid based on an agreement to place a Reserve on a separate lot.
Hammer Price:
- The price offered as the highest bid in a public auction.
These definitions do not constitute the Terms and Conditions which we require site users to read before participating in an auction.
